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The theme for this year’s event is ‘Play your part for a better internet!’ An initiative to make the internet a better place for children by giving them the opportunity to address any concerns or issues they may have when they’re online.

Safer Internet Day 2016: Making the internet a better place!

We love the internet, and of course, children and young people do too. Young people use the internet to search for information using search engines like Google, watch videos on YouTube, and play online games, with teens also accessing social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook, and sharing images on Instagram. The list goes on and on.

While the internet is an informative, educational and fun tool, it can sometimes be a spiteful, harmful place where children can be subjected to online hate because of, for example, their race, gender or nationality. Safer Internet Day 2016 raises awareness about the importance of helping children stay safer online. In order to keep your child safer online, it’s important to first educate yourself and then pass this knowledge to your child.

Safer Internet Day 2016: 16 tips to help keep your child safer online

1. Personal data

Tell your child not to share personal data, such as their email address, home address, passwords, or telephone number publicly online. Your child's birthday, for example, could be used in identity fraud.

2. The internet never forgets!

Explain to your child that what they share online, such as photos of themselves, will last forever on the internet.

3. Don’t talk to strangers!

Just as you teach your child about the dangers of talking to strangers on the street, this also applies to people they do not personally know online.

4. Suspicious emails!

Tell your child not to open emails, messages, files, or click on links from people they don’t personally know. If in doubt, call that person and ask if they sent that message or email.

5. Password protection!

Help keep your child safer online by creating a secure password for all their online accounts and devices, and make sure that your child uses a different password for each account.

6. Don’t share passwords!

Explain to your child about the dangers ofsharing their passwords with anyone (other than with parents or legal guardians).

7. Talk, talk, talk!

Encourage your child to talk to you about any concerns or issues they may have when they’re online.

8. Finished with your session?

Make sure your child logs off from email, social media sites or any other online accounts once they are done.

11. Safer browsing!

12. Don’t share pictures!

Advise your child to never post pictures of themselves or share them with people they do not personally know. You do not know who can access these photos or know how they could be used.

13. Harmful messages!

Keep your child safer online by advising them not to reply to any messages on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or forums that are hateful or make your child feel uncomfortable.

14. Positivity!

Tell your child to respect others and to encourage a positive online attitude, and do not comment or post anything that could make others feel uncomfortable. Make the internet a better place for everyone!

15. Who’s online?

Find out who your child is talking to online. Many children do not view people who they have met online as strangers.

16. Keep an eye out!

It’s a good idea (especially if you have young children), to keep the home computer in a place where you can see what they are doing online.

Play your part for a safer internet for your child by following Safer Internet Day 2016 on Twitter and on Facebook and help make the internet a better place!